Everything you need to know about the NFL free agency and the fantasy football impact regarding it!
NFL Free Agents 2020
- Tom Brady
- Phillip Rivers
- Kenyan Drake
- Kareem Hunt
- Derrick Henry
- Melvin Gordon
- Robby Anderson
- Ryan Tannehill
- Jameis Winston
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Amari Cooper
- Dak Prescott
- Hunter Henry
- AJ Green
- Emmanual Sanders
- Robby Anderson
- Jacob Hollister
- Austin Hooper
We will discuss the fantasy relevance and potential landing spots of most of these players! Transcript below:
Joseph Robert: Welcome to the show, everybody. Joseph Robert, The Fantasy Football Counselor. Exciting episode today. We’re talking Fantasy Football impact based on free agents. So free-agent frenzy, here today, I got a special guest. The Wolf. Yes, the Lion and the Wolf on the same YouTube channel, on the same podcast today. Nick from Roto Street Journal. What’s going on, Nick?
Nick: Two hunters right here are going to feast on the ship together. I love it, my man. I’m doing great and I’m so excited to break down this free agency period, 2020. We got some huge names to breakdown together, my dude. I can’t wait to do it.
Joseph Robert: I’m excited because, after this, it’s straight away right to the Fantasy Football season. We’ve got free agency. We’ve got the NFL draft and that’s it. I mean, we go year-round with Fantasy Football anyway.
But pretty much after that draft is done, everything kind of falls into place. Depth charts looked a certain way. You kind of have a better idea. Right now, we’re kind of just throwing darts, literally. We don’t know what the Fantasy impact is for a lot of teams and how it’s all going to fall together. So, rapid-fire, we’re going to burn through this, we’re going to add as much detail as we can. Try to keep it 30 to 45 minutes to get you guys that consumption on your commute. Wherever you’re listening, if you’re watching on YouTube, you know my style, we get right to it.
So, let’s talk about the Fantasy relevant free agent players. Who do you want to start off with Nick?
Nick: I feel like the running back position is always the most important, but before we get into anybody, I just want to give a quick caution because everybody starts to see these new players and their new jerseys, would get all excited, ahoy, “Oh my God, look at this guy and his colors.”
But when you actually look at it, so a friend of our podcast, Scott Barrett, Pro-Football Focus, broke down how many people actually improved in their new homes and how many of them actually beat their ADP because prices start to skyrocket when you see these play people new faces and we get excited about this unknown factor, this guy on a new team.
It actually ended up that since 2010, the last 10 years, only 27% of the QBs have actually beat their ADP, only 20% of the running backs, 32% of the receivers and 0% of Titans have actually beat the ADP, their draft price. And a handful has improved, but it’s under half for every single position. So yes, we’re excited. I love breaking these down, but it is important to note that a lot of times they don’t actually get better in these new homes as excited as we all get.
Joseph Robert: That’s one thing I warn my listeners. See, like last year everyone thought, “Okay, well, Le’Veon Bell is going to be on the Jets. We’re going to get the same Le’Veon Bell.” I’m like, “No, do not draft Le’Veon Bell in the first round.” Different offense, different home, different O line, different quarterback, different scheme, different uniform. Everything is different, right? So a lot of these players are kind of overrated because they’re a product of that offense.
A perfect example, Damian Williams. A perfect example Kenyan Drake, who really didn’t do anything in Miami, comes to Arizona, does a lot better. So yeah, man, where they land is really going to make an impact on how they’re going to do. So, a lot of people by that recency hype, “Oh, this guy performed well here.” It doesn’t matter, totally different scenario.
Nick: 100%. The system is so important, the talent around them. We try to grade all these different factors, so all of that comes into play here and a lot of these guys we’re going to talk about. I know we’re going to talk about where do we think they’re going to go? Where’s the ideal spot for their Fantasy value? Many of them are just staying home.
I know you mentioned Kenyan Drake right there. I’d love to see him just stay with the Cardinals. He seemed to be a perfect fit for that Air Raid offense, that slashing style, that receiving ability. He’s asking for eight to 10 million a year though. Who knows if they’re going to be able to pay that when they’ve got David Johnson eating up a huge amount of their cap? What do you see happening? Why don’t we start with him, Kenyan Drake. Do you think he stays? Do you think he goes? What’re your thoughts?
Joseph Robert: I’m pissed off of this whole situation. I definitely feel based on what Kenyan Drake is asking, they can’t afford him. But what pisses me off about the situation again, going back, yes, David Johnson looks sluggish at times. Yes, Kenyan Drake does fit the offense a little bit better than David Johnson, but the fact that he got benched, real piss off for me. Not only the fact that I invested. I’m just in general, just the decency and the integrity of the team. I really lost a lot of respect for the Cardinals in general. But yeah, I mean, Drake would be ideal, but I don’t think they can afford both of them to be honest with you.
So it’s going to be a tough situation. I think that Kenyan Drake is asking too much based on what he’s done. What? He had like four good games, right? If you look at it, he was up and down in those games. Not every game was good. I think there are two weeks where he didn’t really do much at all. So based on what he did, he’s just trying to sell high. He’s thinking, “Yeah, I took David Johnson’s job. You guys got to pay me David Johnson plus money.” No, dude, you don’t deserve it. You did nothing in Miami. You’ve had four or five good games. Maybe a few good ones in Miami.
But yeah, I mean, I think he goes somewhere else. I think Detroit was looking at him. If that’s the case, I don’t see him being really Fantasy relevant. I will add before we end this of my comments on this. In a scenario where he let’s say he stays with the Cardinals. David Johnson does get shipped off they don’t bring anyone else in, he could be a top 10 finisher. There’s a high ceiling, but it’s got to be the perfect storm for that to happen.
Nick: I think, totally agree with that. When he was there, when he was the lead guy, he got there on week nine and beyond. He was the number three score in running back and Fantasy for PPR and because they use their running back so much, it is a one back dominant system, which I do like whether it was David Johnson early, Chase Edmonds. I mean, it was so annoying.
But I really do hope that second situation you said, they ship off DJ, maybe to a team with a ton of cap like the Dolphins, who need a running back, give David Johnson another chance to kind of re-spark his value and then they get Drake in, who I think at this stage, a little more explosive, a little bit better of a fit for what they do. I agree with you, if it is Drake and David Johnson’s gone, I would rank Drake right inside my top 15, top 10, like you said.
Joseph Robert: Easily.
Nick: So, that will be an interesting one to see and track.
Joseph Robert: Easily top 15.
Nick: Yeah, has to be. The biggest name of course at running back is Derrick Henry.
I mean, that guy was an absolute monster, a complete steamroller, led the league in carries, rushing yardage and touchdowns. To me, my ideal spot for him is just returning home to Tennessee. They really finally committed to him with Arthur Smith, their new offensive coordinator, the fourth run heaviest team in the league. I would love to see him just stay, remain that focal point because that line is such a beastly line, too. Yeah, they might lose Conklin to Free Agency that right tackle, but even without him they have a ton of depth, they have a beastly line. So I’m hoping he returns and get that same type of work in Tennessee. Do you see him returning? Or what are your thoughts on Derrick Henry?
Joseph Robert: I think the Titans are crazy if they decide to release him.
Or I think he’s the focal point of that offense. We’re going to have to see what happens with Tannehill, that whole situation there. Are they going to bring another receiver? Is brown good enough to carry the load, him and Davis? I think they’re going to need another receiver to complement A.J. Brown. I think he stays and the thing with him, it kind of scares me, I’m one of those guys that knows when to ride the wave when the wave is hot. Done it with Kareem Hunt. Done with Gurley in his hot years. Michael Thomas, I discovered him kind of before they can ship him as the mainstream did. So I know when to fold them and know when to hold them.
I don’t know if he’s going to have as good a year. He could have even a bigger year, but remember if he doesn’t get paid and incentivize now, he loses that incentive and he was super hungry and now he’s kind of said, “I’m the beast. I am the guy as advertised, that is coming out of high school and college.” And is he going to be as hungry and I don’t know because he’s going to get paid. It’s kind of like a lion, right? After he eats, he may not have to eat for a little bit all the while, right? So that’s one thing that concerns me. Again, I was the main guy that was high on Derrick Henry above the mainstream and this year, I’m a little bit concerned with that, but I think he stays. I think he has to stay in Tennessee and Tennessee will be stupid if they got rid of him.
Nick: Yes. I mean, they did say, “We’re going to do everything we can,” obvious statement, but they’re going to do whatever they have to do including the franchise tag to keep them. And the reason I do think he might be even better, now it’s a very hard season to top. Again, league lead and attempts yards and TDs, how do you beat that?
Well, Dion Lewis is expected to be released as a cap casualty, so they can bring back Henry, maybe even Tannehill and when Tannehill was there and Henry was there, number two running back in Fantasy as soon as Tannehill took over, Derrick Henry was only, obviously Christian McCaffrey, scored more than him than. Dion Lewis leads. The one reason that could spark Henry even more. He’s not the best receiver, certainly not on Christain McCaffrey by any means.
As average, 10.1 yards per reception. In screen games last year, he averaged 13.8 on screens, and he’s only seen 1.6 targets per game in his career so far. So imagine if that doubles and he gets four or five targets a game because Lewis is no longer there and this guy is now getting himself in space. He’s an obsessive fucking tank. I love Derrick Henry.
Joseph Robert: I love Derrick.
Nick: It could even become better, so I’m hoping they bring them back. I’m hoping they release Lewis and then if that’s the case and Henry’s really that three-down complete total package, I think only Christian McCaffrey is a clear cut lock to go above and maybe Barkley as well, in my opinion.
Joseph Robert: Right. I’m excited. So yeah, that’s my prediction. I like him. I’m going to have to see where he falls. He’s still on my top five, I think right now. A guy that I was high on last year. So yeah, I like him. I hope he stays.
Nick: If not the Titans, is there a team that you’re like, “Man, I really hope I see Derrick Henry go there?”
Joseph Robert: Oh, man. I think Houston needs a running back. They don’t have a running back. I don’t care what anyone says. They don’t have a running back. I hope he stays in Tennessee because again, we’re going back to the first thing we said. I’d be concerned if he went anywhere else. It would be a different offense, different scenario and I don’t want him in another scenario. I want him in Tennessee. That’s his best chance of replicating what he did last year.
Nick: Yeah, I totally agree but Houston would be very intriguing after Shawn Watson led offense. I mean, that’s going to generate plenty of scoring opportunities. Carlos Hyde ran for 1000 yards there. What the hell could Derrick Henry do?
I mean, that’s a good second team to throw out there. I like that a lot. The big power run based tea, too, so I like that. I mean, the next guy on my list and I guess we could do both at the same time because they were both former Chargers. One of them is returning. We just got news yesterday that Austin Ekeler is going back, so I wanted to include him, I wanted to break him down, just because we now know he’s going to be with the Chargers.
Let’s assume Melvin Gordon’s gone. We can maybe talk about Gordon after we do Ekeler. Now that we know he’s coming back and it’s a pretty good likelihood given the contract they gave him. They signed him to 24.5 million with up to 26 in incentives, 15 million guaranteed. They clearly really think Austin Ekeler is a huge part of not only their backfield but their entire offense. Where do you value him now, knowing they’ve committed to him in this type of sense? Do you think he can replicate what he did last year?
Joseph Robert: I definitely think he could. My only concern is Philip Rivers not being there. That’s number one. Number two, this was a guy that kind of had years to wow now. He was always kind of in the back shadows behind Gordon. Gordon turned down that big money and I think that pissed off the Chargers.
I think Ekeler could be good for PPR, but the thing is, I think he’s going to be a little overvalued overall as a running back and I think people are going to draft him thinking he is that RB1. I think they’re going to be relatively disappointed because if you look at his rushing attempts, I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but my recollection because all I do is study this stuff, but I think he had like 130 plus attempts. Maybe I’m wrong. I’ll double-check that.
Nick: Right around there. No, it’s right around there. You’re right.
Joseph Robert: 132, I think. So, I mean, I don’t know he’s going to lack that, but again, where he’s going to make it up is in the reception. So I think you’re going to get another Alvin Kamara type situation. What I think the Chargers are going to do is I think they’re going to get rid of Gordon because he’s going to come with a big price tag if they want him and then they’re going to get themselves a solid rookie coming into the draft. Maybe Clive. I don’t think Jonathan Taylor will fall, you never know. But I think it’s going to be a solid why. I mean, why pick on Melvin Gordon when we get a stud running back potentially to complement Ekeler. Ekeler will not be alone. I don’t believe it.
Nick: No, and neither the comments at the combine. Their head coach Anthony Lynn said, “I need to have him paired up with someone because then it frees him up to be the receiver.” And that’s why I do think maybe he doesn’t completely match what he did last year. I mean, the Running Back 4 in PPR Fantasy points, but when Gordon wasn’t there, those first four weeks, it really wasn’t a committee. So they had Justin Jackson, who they’re talking up right now, but he never saw more than eight or nine touches and Ekeler was dominating the workload. He was in on 75% or more snaps in all those games and he had at least 17 touches across all those games as well and he was the number two running back in Fantasy behind only, again, Christian McCaffrey. He’s always behind Christian McCaffrey, it seems like.
Joseph Robert: Right, always.
Nick: But for those first four weeks, nobody was better than Ekeler outside of McCaffrey, so if we get that same type of usage, there is that ceiling, but I thought, you brought up a really good point in, who’s the quarterback going to be because Rivers has historically, we saw it with Wood and we’ve seen it with so many guys in his past. He does love throwing to his running backs. We need to make sure there’s a quarterback part of his system. I mean Lynn does love to pepper his running backs. No team threw the running back more last year, 31% of their throws, but it is also a tendency of Phillip Rivers.
Nick: So I totally agree with you there. We got to see who that is, but I’m not overly worried about Ekeler. A lot of people are like, “Oh, my God. They said he has to be in tandem at the combine, but that’s more so to free him up for this creative receiving usage. I totally see him as a 17 to 20 touch guy, even if eight or nine of those touches are coming in the receiving game. And like you said, PPR League, that’s 10,000 times more valuable than the carries, so I still like him. In my opinion. Austin Ekeler is a first-rounder in my mind.
Joseph Robert: Three out of the top 10, for sure.
Nick: I have him right at top 10 running backs, yes and then maybe 11 or 12 right at that turn of the first round. I’d love to get him and like DeAndre Hopkins or something like that a good running back receiver pairing.
Joseph Robert: I’m not drinking the Kool-Aid. I’m not finding the hype here. Again, a lot of people will draft them as their RB1. I think they’re going to be relatively disappointed. Again, good talent, right? He’s above average, but I’m not excited, especially PPR definitely got a target. I’m not paying first round. I’m not even paying second round. If I get him in the third.
Nick: Really? Wow. He won’t fall to the third. I guess you’re not going to have Ekeler.
Joseph Robert: No, I’m not.
Nick: And I think you’re going to regret it, my friend.
Joseph Robert: We’ll see.
Nick: That’s our first disagreement of the day, Austin Ekeler.
Joseph Robert: This is what makes it so much fun. This is what makes the industry fun.
Nick: Oh, yeah, absolutely.
Joseph Robert: So, who else do you got?
Nick: Count me Team Ekeler there.
Joseph Robert: Yeah, I know.
Nick: Well, what about the other guy there, Melvin Gordon. Now that they’ve committed to Ekeler, Gordon could say, “I’d love to be back with the Chargers. I’ve always loved my teammates there. I want to go win it with them,” but then the reports are coming out, he definitely is going to at least test the market. And they’ve given so much money here to Ekeler, I can’t see them handing out two big running back contracts in the same offseason, so my guess is he’s going somewhere else. Where would you like to see Melvin Gordon go play?
Joseph Robert: Again, I hate to sound like a broken record. There are two places. Actually, I think it’d be a better fit for him. I think he’d be top three running back if he ended up in KC. KC needs a running back. I would love to see Melvin Gordon in Kansas City and again, McCoy’s not going to do it. He sucked and I warned them against it.
Nick: He’s a free agent anyway. He’s gone.
Joseph Robert: He’s gone, yeah. But he says he still wants to play. I don’t think he’s going to be relevant anywhere. He’s washed up at this point. Fumblitis.
Nick: No. Done. I agree.
Joseph Robert: But yeah, I mean, Melvin Gordon in KC would be so ideal. Also again, going back, I may be going to be going back, there’s a lot of these other running backs that are workhorse like Melvin is Houston. Houston and KC need running backs. Tampa would be good, too. I think Ronald Jones, Peyton Barber, just watch those guys out right now, get yourself a solid running back like Melvin, run them. I mean, those are the three options, I think. Unless you think there’s a better option, I’m not sure what you think.
Nick: I think those are definitely the three and we call them value holes. These openings as you mentioned that there’s no real clear top guy on the depth chart.
And when you look at it you keep saying the Chiefs. That’s my number one value hole, they’re running back spot because the offense did 30 points a game last year even missing the homes for a few of those. They still only trailed the Ravens in scoring. So many touchdown chances, that’s why Damian Williams was an RB1 for very long stretches and it’s not because he’s that great of a talent.
So, if you put someone like Melvin Gordon there who has the three-down skill sets, that’s the key there with Andy Reid because he loves a three-down guy. He doesn’t have to sub-off. Gordon has those pass-catching chops. I mean he’d catch 70, 80 balls there. I totally agree with you. I’ve taken him in my top three.
To me again, I really see Christian McCaffrey at the top and I know, I think last time we talked, you said it’s Barclay for you, but after McCaffrey, I don’t really have a clear cut number two. To me, that could be Melvin Gordon if he did go somewhere like Kansas City. The other team you mentioned there, too, the Bucs. We saw it with David Johnson, a couple of years ago with Bruce Arians in 2016 at 2100 total yards, 20 TDs, and 80 receptions.
Gordon’s right on par in terms of talent. He’s a great talent breaker, great three-down horse. That team was fourth in the league in scoring. I don’t know who their QB is going to be quite yet but hey, maybe Philip Rivers goes there, who we already know has a history with Gordon. Those two get paired up again, they already know how to work together so well. I would love to see something like a Philip Rivers-Melvin Gordon reunion in that Bruce Arians often. They only had Peyton Barber and shitty Ronald Jones last year and no one did anything.
Joseph Robert: They both sucked.
Nick: When you give Arians a true talent, even like Rashard Mendenhall, who wasn’t great, had a ton of great years under him with the Steelers, so I’d love to see him, if not the Chiefs, I think the Bucs was another great call. I’d love to see him go there.
Joseph Robert: Definitely. Are there other free agents in a Fantasy impact, who else do we got here?
Nick: I mean, there is Kareem hunt. He’s a restricted free agent, but obviously only a couple years removed here from leading the league and rushing. The year before, he was the running back eight in points per game with the Chiefs here. I would love to see somebody sign him into an offer. The Browns have already said they’re going to give him a tender, o we know they’re at least going to try to get him back, but there’s still so many running back needy teams. If he gets swooped away and goes away, not only is that great for him, but also as we’ve talked about before Nick Chubb, who I still love whether Hunt is there or not, but if he leaves, Chubb now becomes top three in my opinion.
Joseph Robert: Right. Top five at least.
Nick: Whereas right now, at least top five maybe even top three. I’d love to see Hunt go to a place because I think he’s a great three-down talent like the Bucs like we’ve already mentioned, maybe even Miami. I don’t love the line there.
Joseph Robert: No.
Nick: I don’t love the overall offense, but man, Kalen Ballage is the top of that depth chart, so there are at least 270 touches available. Nobody should touch the ball above Kareem Hunt there. So just to get him somewhere else where he’s going to get the volume he deserves and free up Nick Chubb, I’d love to see. What do you think of Kareem Hunt?
Joseph Robert: Kareem Hunt. Again, we’re going to debate about this. We’re going to beat each other up all offseason about this, but I’m telling you if Kareem Hunt is there, Nick Chubb is going to plummet as the stock goes down. I don’t care what anyone says. If you look at the last eight weeks, Kareem Hunt was getting actually more Fantasy points and more games if you look at it, one or two points more in some games. I think Chubb beat him in a few games. It’s going to affect him whether you like it or not. He’s going to be a thorn in the pass in the side of Nick Chubb if he stays, but I would love to see Kareem Hunt going back to KC.
Damian Williams should not be playing as a starter, period. He’s not a starter. I don’t like him. He’s very one dimensional. Run to the outside, catch the ball, drop it occasionally once a while. He doesn’t run up the middle very well. Kareem Hunt is more versatile. He’s stronger, more agile, catches the ball better. Imagine him going back to KC and basically reestablishing that. But would they want him back?
Nick: That’s the question, yeah.
Joseph Robert: Remember the main reason they got rid of him was that he kicked somebody. I mean, the Browns got him at a cheap price, too, right? So the Browns being the people that came and hoarded him in at that good price, would they really want to get rid of them? I think he comes back.
Nick: Yeah. I expect him back to and I think it’s unfortunate because I again would love to see both those guys thrive as the featured backs they both deserve to be. So we’ve talked about a few teams. Just to kind of summarize like where we want to see some of these guys go. Chiefs have to be number one. I think Titans if Derek Henry’s not there, presented also that line, the run-heavy tendencies. The Bucs we’ve mentioned. The Cardinals as a backfield we have yet to see who’s going to truly dominate there. And as you’ve mentioned the Texans is a very explosive offense with a clear hole in their backfield. We mentioned the Dolphins is not as sexy, but certainly volumes there.
The other two teams I think are sleepers that we should watch here are the Steelers. Are they going to commit to James Conner after two injury-barred years? They always have wanted a horse. Imagine if Kareem Hunt or one of these guys shakes free and becomes that three-down horse that Tomlin always had with Le’Veon Bell. He’s had D’Angelo, whoever it is, he’s always ridden a guy for three-down values. So you can’t imagine they’re all sold in on James Conner. As much as I liked the guy when he’s healthy, he couldn’t stay healthy at all. So I’d love to see what do the Steelers do this year. Even the 49ers as someone who likes Raheem Mostert, I would like to see them commit to Mostert because I really think he could be that third or fourth-rounder that blows up and has a great year, but you never know his Shanahan. So I’m also monitoring that backfield very closely.
Joseph Robert: I’m monitoring three other backfields, you should definitely be aware of and they definitely need a workhorse running back because I don’t know if they’re fully committed on the backs they have now and understandably so because two of them are improving and one guy has had years to wow, so we’re not really wowed. Those three backfields are simple.
The Eagles, Miles Sanders, showed commitment to him at the end of the season. I don’t think he’s going to be alone, but if he is alone, he’s going to be a beast top 10. Devin Singletary, a little undersized for me to be a workhorse. Again, another guy, I don’t know if the bills are fully sold on. And another backfield, the guy I’m saying years to wow and I’m not really wowed is Marlon Mack, the Colts. I think the Colts also need a workhorse running back. Those three teams as well, teams to keep an eye on and like I said, Conner, I’m not sold on him being the solid workhorse running back. There’s no way.
Nick: Yeah, interesting teams to put out there. I mean, for the sake of those, especially those sophomores, you mentioned Singletary and Sanders, I love those guys..
So I’m really hoping nobody goes there, but it is important to monitor those two values to any of these big names. And there are some other interesting names. I’m going to throw them out there and you tell me if any of these guys intrigued you. To the last five running backs, I think, to be aware of are Jordan Howard, Matt Breida, DeAndre Washington, Lamar Miller, and Carlos Hyde. Are there any of those guys you want to talk about or hope to see go somewhere?
Joseph Robert: Okay, here’s the deal. Everyone, prior to the show, we kind of reviewed our notes. You sent me a list of notes and when he sent that, it just doesn’t excite me. It’s kind of like to be honest with you, kind of going back to single days and stuff like that when I wasn’t married. Well, it’s kind of like there are certain people that catch your eye, right? And the other people you don’t even look back on. You don’t take a second glance at.
Those running backs are guys that I don’t care about. I just do not care. They suck to me. I aim for high caliber, high ceiling, grand slam kind of players. Players like that, I don’t even want to talk about, but let’s bring them up. I mean, briefly, I’m staying away. I don’t care where they end up, because they’re literally just going to be guys that are going to be backups. And just and that’s the problem a lot of people do when they draft. They draft predicated on the name. “Oh, I know the name Carlos Hyde,” and they will probably have it themselves.
This is a big mistake for people in Fantasy. This is where I get the edge with little Fantasy Football draft tip here. The draft on names. “Oh, like I want to Frank Gore. I want Carlos Hyde. I want a Lamar Miller.” No man, while you’re scooping that up, I’m scooping up these rookie running backs later at mid to late rounds. I’m hitting home runs potentially and you guys are wasting your time with guys like this. Perfect example. Thank you for bringing up these guys.
Nick: Yeah, I think that’s a funny analogy, too. Sometimes at my podcast. we do a series called, “If this player was a woman in the bar, who would they be?”
Joseph Robert: Yeah. That’s a good one.
Nick: And you’re right like these are the guys that you’re not necessarily looking at unless they’re dressed up the right way. Let’s say they have the right outfit. It might be one of those girls that doesn’t look great at first, but then you’re, “Oh, damn. That ass.” If you put Breida in the right clothes and suddenly, it’s popping like the Chiefs, let’s say. Breida is one of the fastest running backs. He logged the fastest run of 23 miles per hour on an 80-yard.
Joseph Robert: I don’t care.
Nick: Let’s say Chiefs had nobody else other than Breida. You’ve already said you’re not sold on Damian Williams. Let’s say Breida goes there. He’s competing with Damian Williams. You wouldn’t care about Breida at all with the Chiefs?
Joseph Robert: Hey, I trademarked it. Years to wow me and I’m not wowed. Go back to Keith Marshall. Do you remember Keith Marshall? Tell me you remember him, probably not.
Nick: Way back. That is way back, that was, right?
Joseph Robert: That’s like three, four years ago. Ran a 4.29. Okay?
Nick: Yeah.
Joseph Robert: And I think used to run with Todd Gurley. Wasn’t he called Gurshall, Todd Gurley, Keith Marshall, they were called Gurshall.
Nick: Oh, okay. Yeah. I know what you’re talking about. Yeah.
Joseph Robert: Yeah. Ran a 4.29. You forget all of a sudden, that speed. I don’t care about speed. John Ross, what has he done, right? So when you talk about these guys, they don’t excite me. I don’t care. Keith Marshall ran a 4.29.
Nick: Breida has had some plays, though. I agree with you. I’m not a straight-up like, “Oh, look at these combine numbers.” There are tons of examples.
Nick: We’ve seen some glimpses of Breida. I mean Jordan Howard has the Bears record for most yards in his first two seasons, so like if you put him with the Texans for example. You saw with Carlos Hyde. Was it sexy last year? No, but you could depend on him for your flex, especially during bye week because he’s getting-
Joseph Robert: So boring. It bores me.
Nick: It’s very boring. It bores me, too. I’m not sitting here saying I can’t wait to draft Jordan Howard like he’s disgusting, I get it, it’s nothing great, but again, you dress him in the right clothes like the Texans for example. If you can make 1000 yards six to eight TDs with Carlos Hyde, Jordan Howard could certainly at least replicate that and Hyde had his usefulness. Again, I like going for the highest possible upside, so you’re right, very few of these guys are going to be on my radar. The only one that does stand out, I mean, we mentioned Howard if he goes to Texans. I do like Breida’s speed and I do think he has flash on the field, so I do want to see where he goes.
But I’ve never seen DeAndre Washington actually get a true shot. Last year, when he had three starts when Josh Jacobs was out, he had 18 and 21 points. He was an RB9, RB11, and RB9 for those three weeks. The three times he was used, he was a top 12 running back all three times. So if he goes somewhere, let’s say again, the Dolphins for example, who have nobody there and he’s going to a spread offense for Chan Gailey. He played in a spread offense in college. I could see him kind of sneaking out. If he does get the volume, I could see this guy being a top 20 running back that no one really ends up talking about.
Joseph Robert: Yeah, I agree with you to some degree. I’m not taking these guys out on dates by any means, but I will tell you this. I definitely see some upside. Some of the guys come out of the woodwork years after we saw it with players in the past. I can’t even think of remembering this guy’s one’s name, Justin Forsett, I think. Does that ring a bell?
Nick: I remember him. Oh, yeah. Baltimore?
Joseph Robert: Justin Forsett.
Nick: Yeah.
Joseph Robert: He was a fantasy football breakout when he was older. He came out of the woodwork, had a great Fantasy year.
Nick: Yep.
Joseph Robert: And you saw it with Drake coming back. You saw it with Damian Williams having a little bit of shine. He was great.
Nick: You put him in the right clothes and you might get a nice thing to look at.
Joseph Robert: Yeah, I mean, but you got to really kind of like find the diamond in the rough and I’m not really good with digging that and I don’t want to go dive in. I’m going to stay away, but yeah, I definitely see them, some of these guys, potentially coming out of the woodwork but to me, give me a young hungry guy that’s got tons of upside and a great situation, that’s what’d I go for.
Nick: I agree. I mean, and as a whole like my philosophy goes for the highest upside, so a lot of those guys probably won’t be on my radar unless they do end up with the right team. So I’m with you there. Every pick, I want the biggest ceiling because you’re not going to win with the ninth round fucking, again, Jordan Howard but like it’s not winning you your league. Lamar Jackson was a round 12 guy last year. Again, there are upside that late, so I’m with you. You got to swing for the fences much more often than you don’t. This is one year, I’m moving away. We started with running backs. We spent a ton of time on it because it is, in my opinion, the most important position.
Joseph Robert: Love it.
Nick: And Fantasy builds it. We’ve talked already building that stable of backs is a strategy we both believe and I’ll do first three, even four picks all running backs just to make sure I have my horses. But this year in particular with free agency, quarterbacks are much deeper than you usually see. It’s a position that teams don’t usually let a good starter getaway yet. There’s a list of four or five guys I could see his starters. And obviously, this offseason all the talk has been the GOAT himself, Tom Brady, where is he going to go? And I’m a New England fan, the Patriots.
Joseph Robert: I see that.
Nick: Figure the background. I’ve grown up in Boston my whole life like I’m a die-hard New England guy, so I have heard nothing but Brady, Brady, Brady, this little hint, that little hint. So it seems to me by all the buzz that’s going on here, there’s a good chance he’s actually gone, which blows my mind. I’m ready to cry for two days straight once he finally leaves us. Where do you think, but what do you think? Is he going to come back to New England? And if not, where is he going to go?
Joseph Robert: I don’t want to spend too much time on this, but I hate when this happens, especially when you got the greatest of all time. We saw these players like Gretzky went to the Kings. He was on the Oilers for all the years. And you’re kind of used to certain GOATs and certain players being on a certain team and then they move away, it kind of bothers me a little bit because you’re so used to it.
Nick: Joe Montana. Yeah.
Joseph Robert: Wherever he goes, I definitely feel, similar to the way Brady got his last Super Bowl or sorry, not Brady. Peyton Manning got his last Super Bowl and I don’t whether it’s fixed or not, whatever, that’s a whole other episode, but I still think he gets another Super Bowl ring. Wherever he ends up, he’s going to be in a situation, not only based on his talent to get it, but also the scenario of the team that he’s going to get another Super Bowl, there’s no doubt.
I don’t know. I hope he stays with New England. I hope he gets another ring. I mean, it would just be super cool to see greatness do it again and witness it and be a part, be alive during this amazing time. And yeah, I think wherever he goes, he’ll do well. There’s talking about Oakland. There’s talk about this and that. Wherever he goes, he’ll do well, and he’ll have the tools to do well.
Nick: Yeah, I agree. I mean, it’s Brady. I totally believe if he does leave, he’s going to be more fired up than ever to stick it to Belichick to show it was me, not Bill that won the title, so.
Joseph Robert: Right. Monkey on his back. Monkey on the back, a chip on his shoulder.
Nick: Exactly. I think they both want to do and all the talk here is Robert Kraft wants him back. He’s going to do whatever it takes to get him back, but Bill is ready to kind of move forward and does something else here. We saw that with Garafolo. Bill didn’t want to get rid of him. He would have rather had Jimmy than Brady himself. Wherever Brady goes, I’m always going to be a die-hard Pats fan, but I’ll root for wherever Tom goes as well.
Actually, a couple of weeks ago, I was pretty drunk and had a blackout vision in a way that he’s going to go to the Titans and my buddy’s dad was in Vegas. So, I was like, “What’re the lines on the Titans winning the Super Bowl?” And at the time, it was 30 to one. So I was like, “Throw 100 bucks on it. So if he goes to the Titans and wins the Super Bowl, I’ll be 3,000 bucks richer, so I wouldn’t hit that either.”
Joseph Robert: I’d like that.
Nick: There you go. And there’s a lot of talk with Vrable being there that they have that camaraderie. If they get Derrick Henry, Brady. They have A.J. Brown, Humphries in the slot would obviously take a nice bump up with Brady there. I wouldn’t hit that. And I think that’s one thing we’ve got to consider as we talk about a few of these quarterbacks, is it’s not just about their value. I don’t know if I’m drafting Brady, wherever he goes just because he’s 43, how much upside will he have, but the people around him certainly, in any quarterback, the value definitely changes based on where they go and the value around them.
As I said, Brady goes to the Chargers, which is a rumored spot. Austin Ekeler, that the number of throws that Brady does to the running back. Most people don’t throw as much as Philip Rivers, but Brady is just up there in terms of targeting running backs, too. So that would be a great boost to Austin Ekeler to Keenan Allen out of the slot. Think about how much damage Edelman has done over the years. So that’s another spot he might slide in and be a great fit.
Another quarterback that could have a huge impact on his surroundings, too. Jameis Winston, the guy just loves to close his eyes and huck it. I don’t know if the guy’s actually that good of a player. In fact, I don’t love the guy at all, but man does he help produce Fantasy stats for Chris Godwin, Mike Evans because he just loves to huck it up and let his guys do their thing. Do you think he ends up back with Tampa Bay which to me would be the ideal for his value? Bruce Arian’s bombshell bonanza there or do you think Jameis Winston ends up going somewhere else?
Joseph Robert: Jameis Winston is that guy that’s just an average quarterback. I’m not really excited about him wherever he ends up. Yeah, he’s got that upside, he likes to throw the bomb but he also throws a lot of picks as we know as well.
Nick: 30 and 30, right? The first guy ever, 30 touchdowns, 30 INTs.
Joseph Robert: He’s in the same club to me as your darn olds, who else is in that club, the average club? I can’t even think. I’m not even thinking quarterbacks, but he’s just your average quarterback that’s never going to have enough juice to get people to the Super Bowl. I just don’t see him being that caliber of a guy. He’ll never be a Pat Mahomes. He’ll never be that guy. So guys like him just don’t excite me.
Again, a good backup for Fantasy with some upside to cover my bye-weeks or possible injury, but other than that, I don’t know. I don’t know if he ends up in Tampa. I don’t know what’s going on with him. And again, a lot of people drafting Godwin and Evans in regards to thinking that he’s going to be there. They might be surprised if a new quarterback comes in, too and their value is going to be very volatile and a lot of uncertainty in regards to their values as well.
Nick: Yeah, that’s why I hope he stays put because I don’t want Godwin and Evans to be ruined, two top seven Fantasy receivers right there. They need someone that’s willing to just huck it and let them do their thing. So I’m hoping Winston does stay there for his value and for those two guys. Cut Bruce Arians, the no risk, no biscuit offense. The one thing Winston does have is a cannon arm, and I want an offense where he’s going to be unleashed. He’d be horrible if he ends somewhere like New England, where it’s all about clock management, ball control and dink in and being accurate.
I hope he doesn’t go somewhere like that. I want to see him in this vertical style, Air Coryell offenses that really fit his big arm strength. I’m hoping he stays in Tampa Bay, but if not, I still would be intrigued by whatever wide receiver one is tied to him because we’ve seen it over and over again. He is very willing to let his guys go and make plays and just huck up the prayers.
What about Philip Rivers another potential starter? I’d say Philip Rivers and Ryan Tannehill, they’ll like the last two, maybe even Teddy Bridgewater if you want to throw him out there but those are the last kind of names that could end up being starting quarterbacks in the league next year that are free agents. We know Rivers is going to be gone. Where do you see him landing?
Joseph Robert: That’s a tough one, man. I really don’t know where Rivers is going to land. Wherever he lands, I think he wants to win a Super Bowl. I think he’s got another monkey on his back, chip on his shoulder kind of guy, whatever. He wants to win, but what I do like about him when you’re looking at Fantasy impacts, whatever receivers are going to be on the receiving end do have a lot of upside. So whatever team he’s going to land on, the receivers are going to benefit. Where do you think Rivers is going to land? As of right now? I don’t know. I have no idea.
Nick: My best guess would be Frank Reich’s Colts team, right there because he used to be the offensive coordinator for the Chargers. They had that familiar, that background together with each other and they clearly have a quarterback need when they’re rolling out Jacoby Brissett right now, so I wouldn’t be shocked to see Rivers go to a system he already knows, a system that won’t be overly reliant on his arm. Because at times last year, it looked shot. It didn’t look like he could really fling the rock quite as deep as he did.
And so if he goes to the Colts, maybe a little more accuracy for T.Y. Hilton there. We’ve talked about how Rivers does love to target his running backs, so whether that’s Marlon Mack, Nyheim Hines or if they as you predicted maybe go out and get a new rookie that’s a three-down guy. If Rivers is there, the running back certainly gets a nice little boost as well that tight ends Jack Doyle. We’ve seen Rivers between Gates and Hunter Henry, he’s made some very good money with his tight ends as well. So Jack Doyle might get a little bump up. Should Rivers go to the Colts?
Nick: What about Ryan Tannehill? I mean, he was the Quarterback 3 in Fantasy when he took over for Tennessee. There was a stretch for only Lamar Jackson was scoring more than him. Was that a mirage? Is Tannehill actually good and what do you think happens with him?
Joseph Robert: I don’t know, man. There seems to be a curse with Miami because years to wow, I mean, I wasn’t wowed, so he kind of shocked me and I think it was he had more time in the pockets to throw better O line, a better situation, young hungry receivers. I don’t think it was a fluke. He was relatively surprisingly consistent.
So, I hope he stays in Tennessee. I think he needs a shot. Again, one of those guys that never really got the opportunity, those diamonds in the rough and I like him. I mean you could probably wait on this guy, I don’t know when he’s going be gone. I haven’t done any mock drafts. I don’t start mocking until around the end of April after the draft.
Nick: Why would you, right? We don’t know where all these players are going to be, right?
Joseph Robert: Yeah, so I think you’re going to get him for a good value. He could be a Quarterback 1. You don’t get to invest to Lamar’s second-round pick on and I think he’s going to be great if he stays put and I think Tennessee should be smart enough to do it if they don’t get a Brady or something like that. But my question is again, is he going to be the same caliber as the Winstons of the world, O’Donnells. I don’t know if he’s ultra-elite yet again.
So I don’t know if he’s going to be enough to take the Tennessee Titans to the finish. I just think he’s missing the It factor. The It factor that Lamar has. The It factors that Pat Mahomes and Brady have, that Russell Wilson has. I don’t think he’s one of those guys that got it.
Nick: No, I don’t think so either. But Fantasy-wise does he have that factor?
Joseph Robert: Yes.
Nick: He can run. We saw him run in for a bunch of touchdowns last year. He’s surrounded by A.J. Brown, so elite after the catch. So many of his Fantasy points were like, “Here you go, A.J. Go do your thing, A.J.” He explodes down the field for 60 yards after the catch. So, can he get a Super Bowl for them? No, I’m with you. I don’t see them winning a title with Ryan Tannehill, but can he win your Fantasy titles?
Joseph Robert: Yes.
Nick: Because you mentioned the price. I’m all about and I’m sure you are, too, you got to wait on quarterback as much as I love Lamar Jackson and it would be nice to have this guy. Last year, you were getting him in round 12. The year before, Pat Mahomes was going in round 12. They are always.
Joseph Robert: I got Mahomes in 10.
Nick: I was all about Mahomes, yeah, totally. I will admit I missed the Lamar Jackson train this year, unfortunately.
Joseph Robert: So did I.
Nick: I was all about Kyler Murray. I thought he was going to be that. Pat Mahomes cheat code. There is always one of those. And again, Tannehill was the Quarterback 3. Only Pat Mahomes and Lamar Jackson had more points than this guy and you know he’s not going to be priced that way because he’s Ryan Tannehill, but the system does fit him so well if he returns the Titans.
If he goes anywhere else, I probably have no interest in him, but I think Arthur Smith, their coordinator, did a really nice job surrounding him with the right talent. As you mentioned, the offensive line improvements give him just a little bit more time to make a huge difference. So I could see myself being down with Ryan Tannehill if he returns for sure.
Is there any other quarterback? Do we even talk about Bridgewater? Do you think he goes anywhere in starts?
Joseph Robert: Bridgewater has upside. What he did when Brees was off was pretty impressive, so I’m really curious. There’s a ton of upside here so it depends on where he lands yet again what happens with him, but I like him. I think he’s going to want a lot of money. Is it rightfully so? I think so. I think he’s going to do some good things. I don’t know if he’s ultra-elite, but I think the ceiling is higher for him than a Winston or Tannehill. That’s my opinion on this guy. There’s a ton of upside here.
Nick: Interesting. Yeah. I mean, there is definitely some upside for sure. As you mentioned with the Saints, obviously would set up so well because they have a great line with Michael Thomas and Kumar, the weapons were perfect. But yeah, this guy is a starting-caliber quarterback, so I’d love to see him get a shot. He hasn’t really had that true this is my team, I’m the quarterback since the Vikings and I don’t even know if they gave him a real fair shot there.
We mentioned all these value holes for running backs. To me, the top quarterback value holes would be the Bucs just because Bruce Arians throws it 50 times a game. He loves to throw the bomb, so whoever ends up there, I’m going to be very intrigued by whether it’s Winston or somebody else. I think the Chargers, they love to throw as well, they have great weapons there. The Titans do have a good system again and made Tannehill the number three scoring quarterback. So whether it’s him, whether it’s Brady, I do think there could be some value to whoever is the Titans.
And then we haven’t even talked about Dak who is obviously the most elite of the free-agent quarterbacks. I feel like we’ve kind of left him off because he’s going back to Dallas, right? Like there’s no way they would ever let him go, is there?
Joseph Robert: I mean, I think they might tag them and stuff like that.
Nick: Yeah.
Joseph Robert: But I don’t know, man. I just I kind of feel for Dak because again going back to me hating on Carson Wentz because Carson Wentz really hasn’t done anything, gets $128 million deal and it’s like Dak, like pay the guy. I again, I think he’s slightly above par. I think he’s better than Winston. I think he’s better than Tannehill, but I think he’s missing the It factor and I don’t know what it is. The O-line is there. The running game is there. The receivers are there. What’s missing?
And I think that It factor could be Dak’s ability maybe I don’t know. They should pay him something. I don’t know if it’s going to be a mega-contract like Wentz. I think the Eagles should’ve done the same thing. They should have felt that once maybe for another year before going crazy and paying him. It was crazy. Anyway, that’s a whole other topic. But yeah, I think he stays. He’s got to start making a statement. He’s got to do something this year. I mean, come on, man. It’s time now.
Nick: Yeah, I agree. I mean, he’s got everything. He’s got no excuses. And Mike McCarthy, a quarterback whisperer obviously had great years with Aaron Rodgers. I think they would be smart to franchise him, like you’ve mentioned it and get a year and really see is this the guy we want to commit to? I wonder if Dak would hold out in that situation, though, if he would even end up playing. So, we’ll see it there.
They’re saying it’s going to take 30 million-plus a year to get it done. I don’t personally think Dak is worth that, but if he if he’s got everything around him then maybe just maybe. I do think he’s a baller. We haven’t seen him get all the way quite yet, but McCarthy might be that guy to bring him to the next level. And the guy that would really help him to bring back is Amari Cooper. Definitely, in my opinion, to transition to wide receivers.
Joseph Robert: That does it, yeah.
Nick: There’s not a ton of wide receivers this year and same with tight ends, but there are a couple, it’s very top-heavy. There are two or three names for each position. And Amari Cooper is definitely the headline of this wide receiver class. To me, I would love to see him return to Dallas. He was the Wide Receiver 8 last year. He had the best year of his career, most consistent year, even though there were some blow-ups and some disappearances.
He does get hurt a little bit often, but still, McCarthy, whether it’s Davante Adams, whether it’s Jordy Nelson, like he’s always had that true Greg Jennings. He’s always dominated with a number one wide receiver and I do think Amari Cooper has that route running, the speed, the size to do it all. So I’d like to see him return to Dallas. Do you think he gets back there? And if not, is there anywhere you’d like to see him go?
Joseph Robert: I’m Dallas’s owner right now. I’m the head coach. I’m the administration there and I’m going to say, I like Cooper. I think he’s above par, well above par, not the best. I don’t think he’s in the class with Michael Thomas or Julio Jones of the world.
Nick: No.
Joseph Robert: I think he’s below those guys. I think Kenny Golladay is even better than Amari Cooper, but I think I would not pay Amari Cooper. This is a deep NFL Draft class coming in at wide receiver. Henry Ruggs, Jeudy. I mean, I don’t think they’re going to get Jeudy, but they could get themselves an ace wide receiver to complement a very well talented Michael Gallup. I think Gallup when he was drafted, he was supposed to be the wide receiver when I think they had that in the back of their mind that he would be kind of their ace and he’s pretty good.
The guy is good, like his yards after catch looked good. He’s aggressive. He’s got a nose for the end zone. When he catches, man, he goes as he fights for every yard. I love that and I think he could technically be the Wide Receiver 1, bringing a couple of rookie wide receivers group 1, and you can save a ton of money on Amari Cooper, who’s again been good. He’s shown some flashes but lacked consistency. So if I’m Dallas, I’m not paying Cooper. I know you like him, but I’m going to go in the opposite direction here.
Nick: And I could see them taking that approach, too because I agree with you, Michael Gallup is very talented and maybe could shoulder Wide Receiver 1 duty. We had RJ Ochoa beat, right? That’s very tapped in there for SB Nation. They’re blogging the boys on earlier this offseason. And he talked about, yeah, they’d love to have Cooper back, but they do believe in Gallup as a potential Wide Receiver 1. I mean, the guy had 1100 yards, 6 TDs, 66 catches. That’s very high-end Wide Receiver 2. If not, low and Wide Receiver 1 numbers and if that volume becomes now I’m the number one guy and I asked Ochoa.
We see a lot of these guys that thrive in the number two role because they’re getting the weaker coverage. Do you think Gallup would be able to handle those number ones and he’s like, definitely we’ve seen enough of this guy that he could beat number one corners? He could get 180, 200 targets and be that number one guy and still put up great numbers. It’s not that he was a product of the weaker coverage. So I’m with you, I like Gallup a lot. If Cooper leaves, I think Gallup has to be treated as a top 20 maybe even top 15 Fantasy Wide Receiver. He has the potential to be one of the biggest risers this offseason once all is said and done. If Cooper leaves and it’s just Gallup, where do you think you’d see him sliding into your rankings?
Joseph Robert: Yeah, man, easily like without a doubt top 15. I got to see both the top 10 maybe. I like him. I would actually like him ahead of one of either Godwin or Mike Evans.
Nick: Interesting.
Joseph Robert: Because if Winston is not there, one of them is going to fall off.
Nick: Right. Yeah.
Joseph Robert: I don’t see them both finishing top 10, so yeah, man, Gallup’s got a huge ceiling if Cooper goes. I would love him. I think a lot of people are going to sleep on him because I watched those games, and I watched how good he really is. So I’m excited about Gallup, man. I’m excited about that offense, but Dak, it’s do or die for him, man. They got to do something, kind of like the same kind of do or die mentality with one of players like Dalvin Cook last year. Derrick Henry, like it was make or break. Leonard Fournette, make or break seasons for them and a lot of these guys stepped up when the time came. Dak has to step up and Gallup could benefit.
Yeah, I’m with you there. Again, McCarthy’s such a pass-happy guy. So even if Cooper returns, I can still see Gallup being a top 20 guy but obviously, if he’s the number one weapon there, it would be huge if he leaves. If Cooper leaves, there are a few teams I wrote down that I’d love to see get a new wide receiver. One of them is the Cardinals. I mean, they have Kirk but to me Kirk is the definition of a number two. Nothing solid, sexy about that guy. Larry Fitz, greatest he’s been his whole career. He’s obviously not a number one. It seems to me like that Air Raid needs a true number one guy they were lacking. I’d love to see Kyler get a weapon like Amari Cooper.
Nick: They are trapped to trying to keep Drake. I don’t know if that happens, but I’d certainly love to see it and I also think the 49ers and Eagles both kind of lack that true number one. Al Shawn, you can’t rely on him. He’s hurt all the time. DeSean Jackson great speed, but not a number one either. So the Eagles could use someone like Cooper. The 49ers, I mean who the hell did they have? Emmanuel Sanders.
Joseph Robert: Deebo was good.
Nick: I do love Deebo, you’re right. I think those two together would be deadly. So those are the three teams I kind of wrote down and the Packers, I mean they have Adams but they could also use a number two in New England. I mean, Julian Edelman is really the only guy, two. Those are the teams I’d love to see make moves at wide receivers that have some real Fantasy value. Cooper to me, the Cardinals would be the most ideal if he does not go to Dallas. What do you think of those teams I kind of threw o
Joseph Robert: I agree. I mean, Kirk is good and not so much a PPR machine, more of a deep threat. We had some big bombs go to him last year. I think he lacked consistency, but he’s got a high ceiling I think this year. If he becomes the main Wide Receiver 1 and remains kind of the Wide Receiver 1 there. So yeah, I definitely think Cardinals would be a really good fit for Cooper. And I think the upside is there with that offense.
Nick: Yeah. The only other true number one Wide Receiver I see in the free-agent class and that’s only if he stays healthy which is one of the biggest question marks after these last three years that’s A.J. Green though. I mean he was a true dominant number one receiver for so long. Obviously, didn’t play a snap last year, missed half the year before that, so there are huge question marks. There are rumors the team wants to franchise tag him and keep him there to keep Joe Burrow happy and Burrow has already kind of said I really want A.J. Green to be there.
Joseph Robert: Right. Burrow said that he wants Green to stay, sign him, keep him.
Nick: So let’s say he stays, do you buy A.J. Green? Obviously, it depends on the price, but do you think him and Joe Burrow can do some damage together or are you avoiding this guy?
Joseph Robert: They could do damage. I’m going to avoid him. I’m one of those guys that I look at it kind of like a stock sometimes. So if the stock is high and Green stock was high years ago and it’s plummeted so low, as it does good to buy low, trust me. Don’t get me wrong. I like to thrive, but I guess, the stock is a bad example because once these guys aged a little bit and I think they’ve kind of peaked out, they’ve kind of blew their low, it’s very hard for them to kind of find their way back. Burrow could be a nice ignition to this. It could light a spark here, but again years to wow me lately and I’m not wowed. Once they taper and fall off, I rarely dig back in to grab these older guys and he’s not that old, but when it comes to football age, I’m not excited, man. I’m really not.
Nick: Yeah, the recent injury history is killing me and last year, it’s one of those things in Fantasy that it shouldn’t affect you, but I took him in like three or four leagues last year and the fact that he didn’t play a snap and I just had him burning my bench all fucking year is like, you have those guys that you’re like once they burn you, you’re like, fuck them. I don’t ever want to touch these guys, so whether he blows up or not, I’m off the A.J. Green team unless maybe he goes with Brady to New England or gets a change of scenery. I’m into the idea that since he does have a decent turnaround, I am a believer in Burrow. I think he’s going to be the real deal. He played in a pro-style offense under Joe Brady and we saw what happened at LSU this year. I mean, lit the absolute world on fire.
Joseph Robert: He’s special.
Nick: I think he’s going to be legit. I really do think he’s legit. I think they get Jonah Williams their offensive tackle back next year. I love Nixon. I think Boyd’s a good talent, so I could see this offense definitely taking humongous multiple steps forward and A.J. Green being a part of that, but I just don’t trust the guy to stab or stay healthy. And I imagine the A.J. Green name factor, you brought that up.
Oh, A.J. Green, I can see that driving a fifth to even fourth-round price and at that price point, give me Terry McLaurin. Give me one of these jumper guys that has some more upside. Michael Gallup, I’d much rather take a shot on these guys that are up and coming rather than the ones that have been there before, but probably on the way out.
Right. So yeah, let’s wrap it up here. A couple more receivers rapid fire. I know Robbie Anderson, he’s kind of been a one trick pony, deep threat kind of guy. He doesn’t excite me. He’s not going to excite me on the Jets. What do you think happens to him?
I’d love to see him leave the Jets. Fuck the Jets. Fuck Adam Gase. He ruins everybody. I hate Adam Gase and they have some players there, but I’m not touching anyone on the Jets until Adam Gates is gone. Get him to maybe the Packers, right? I don’t want to see him be a true number one. He’s not a true number one.
Joseph Robert: No.
Nick: But in a number two role? You have Davante Adams on one side drawing the top attention. Anderson could do some damage with it. Aaron Rodgers is such a play action-based system where they get the D backs biting. If he has the secondary cover one-on-one, I could see Anderson and Aaron Rodgers really being a great connection. I’d love to see him go there. Personally, do you have a spot that you’d like to see Robby Anderson?
Joseph Robert: I’m not. I’m going to stay away from him because he’s going to be that annoying guy that’s going to put up a 45-point game and then for three weeks, he’s going to put up donuts and then he’s going to come back and have another 45-point game and put up. That’s the type of player he is and I stay away, so I really don’t care where he ends up. It’s just kind of interesting as a late-round guy to get and plug them in based on matchups. So if there’s a good matchup, maybe DFS play, that’s where I’m going to play Robby. But I definitely don’t want to see him on the Jets. I mean, it would be interesting to see Rivers on the Colts and him lining up with T.Y. Hilton, that would be interesting.
Nick: Yep. I think that’s a great team to throw out there that could use a good number two wide receiver. I mean you got T.Y. and him on the same side. That’s a lot of speed for defenses to account for and that would open up so many things underneath for Doyle and the running backs, too. So I like that for the lot, that’s a really intriguing one. The only other name and some names that are on the list is there’s Agholor, Rashad Higgins, Danny Amendola, Randall Cobb, no one you care about at all.
Joseph Robert: Are we going back to this again? Are you going back to this?
Nick: Yeah, we’re going back to the girls you’re not ever going to look at, at the bar. Yes, exactly.
Joseph Robert: You used to wow me, I’m not wowed. The only time I remembered Amendola was when he was stealing targets from players I like. I hate that. He’s like yeah, Darren Sproles of wide receivers. I hate those people who are Fantasy.
Nick: Just the lead. He’s never going to have his own values. He’s just going to steal from other people.
Joseph Robert: I hate it, man. What a weasel.
Nick: I hate those guys. The one name I want to throw out there just because he blew up at the end of this last year and it’s your years to wow me, I’m not wowed, Breshad Perriman. He was a first-round pick, huge guy, deep speed, didn’t do anything for his first four years in the league, other than his brief glimpses of speed. But last year, once everyone was hurt around him, he kind of stepped into that number one role for the Bucs and had three or four monstrous gains.
If you use him down the stretch, there’s a good chance you won your league because of Breshad Perriman, which is insane to say. Is there anywhere you could see this guy landing, where you’re all right, this is a sleeper for me.
Joseph Robert: That’s tough man. Maybe Arizona, Kyler. Like he’s showing some flashes, but not enough to get me excited. I’m not getting out of my seat and clapping or anything like that. I’m leaning back. Maybe I might lean in and say that was pretty good and that’s it like that’s all he’s getting out of me. A lean forward for a second, that’s it. I’m not thrilled.
Nick: Yeah. A quick glance. Someone else, it’s going to be too much of a headache to bring home. Yeah. You’re going to regret it in the morning.
Joseph Robert: The ceiling is there again, but the ceiling doesn’t mean anything. I want to see a little bit more consistency in production.
Nick: Yeah. The only other guys I wanted to make sure to mention your tight end. It’s usually, free agents don’t typically succeed when they leave their original team, but this year we got Hunter Henry and Austin Hooper, two top seven or so tight ends in Fantasy these last couple of years. What do you think of these two? Do they stay at home? Do they go somewhere else and if they leave, where do you want to see them end up?
Joseph Robert: Henry’s the guy I kind of stayed away from. The talent is there, some injuries have plagued him a little bit through the years, not a guy I trust. Hooper, I think his little more consistent, exciting. I don’t know if that was a product of Matt Ryan and that offense probably because the defense was distracted trying to cover Julio Jones Ridley. I think Hooper benefits from that. So I mean, I don’t think Hooper is going to be there. There have already been talks saying that he might be moving on. So, I don’t know. It depends on where he ends up. I don’t know where he could end up. This to me is another coin toss. I’d just be throwing darts. I don’t know, but I think Cooper could be an immediate impact and a safe tight end you can get later. Hunter, I don’t really trust. I don’t trust Hunter.
Nick: You don’t trust Hunter Henry at all?
Joseph Robert: No.
Nick: Yeah, I mean, he’s had a tough time staying healthy. My guess with how these two to shake out. They’re already saying the Chargers might franchise tag Hunter Henry, keep them there. If Tom Brady let’s say goes there and obviously we have that history of relying on Gronk and I mean, obviously, Hunter is not Gronk by any means, but I would love to see Hunter Henry and Brady somehow pair up in a quarterback that would really utilize him well.
Hooper is interesting. They’re saying as you mentioned, the Falcons don’t expect them back. They had too much cap hit everywhere else, which is a shame because Dirk Koetter really does love peppering his tight ends. I think it’s a huge part of his system. O.J. Howard or even Cameron Brate and Tampa Bay had a lot of value with Dirk Koetter, so whoever ends up being Atlanta’s tight end, I’m going to be very intrigued to see. There’s rumblings that Hooper might end up going to Green Bay and on paper, it’s like “Ooh, Aaron Rodgers is a sexy landing spot,” but he’s never had a good Fantasy tight end. Maybe once which threw Michael Finley out of 15 years. I hope Cooper does not go there.
Nick: I’d love to see either of these guys end up in New England if Brady’s there. I’d love to see either of them end up if Hooper returns to the Falcons or Henry goes there. Those are kind of the two biggest spots, The Falcons and the Patriots that have historically used tight ends very well. They have some big openings. The Bills don’t really have anybody and the Cowboys’ Witten is gone. So maybe either of those teams could use a tight end injection as well. Who knows where either of them goes.
The only other tight end free agent worth mentioning, in my opinion, is Eric Ebron. I mean, he had 13 touchdowns a couple of years ago. Is there anything else you want to say about any of these three guys or?
Joseph Robert: Not really just. I’m just going to do this new thing where I raised my eyebrow, which is the one kind of like that. You got my interest piqued when you said I think it was Henry and Brady. That is fascinating to me. That’s interesting because yeah, Brady does like to throw this tight ends. We know that and I think that would be very interesting. Whatever tight end is at the receiving end of Brady’s pass, yeah, I mean, I’m not too excited. Tight end gives 10 points, give me an ace backup that could have a high ceiling. That’s it, man. That is really what I wanted.
Nick: Yeah. And I think that’s really it for this free-agent class, too.
Joseph Robert: Open lot.
I mean, obviously there’s a ton of top and talent. We hit all the positions, and we hit where they hope they end up and it’s going to be crazy. It starts what? March 16th, the legal tampering and then they can officially join new teams. We know they’re all talking already. So I love this time of the year. I feel like we have to once we see where all these names do end up and what the new homes are, we should come back and now say what is their new value. That’s just as valuable if not more so.
Joseph Robert: Yes, we’re going to do that.
Nick: I’d love to do that again, but it’s just about as good in an in-depth for the previous, I think you’re going to find out there.
Joseph Robert: This is complete. We got to get it out there to the masses. Get everybody listening. A lot of dream scenarios here. A lot of impact. We delved deep, covered a lot of free agency and the Fantasy impact, so thank you, Nick, the Wolf for coming on. And yeah man, I’m excited. We’re going to do this more often.
Nick: I just want to throw out one more quick stat that I forgot I had it written down here my notes and it’s not about somebody who leaves, but if Hooper does end up leaving, Calvin Ridley, when Hooper of the lineup was that the stats were ridiculous. So without Hooper, he only averaged six targets, four catches and run 54 yards a game, which was the Wide Receiver 26 not horrible, decent and fancy. But when Hooper was inactive, it was only three games. He saw 10 targets, seven catches, 106 yards and almost a touchdown per game. He would have been the Wide Receiver 2 in Fantasy if he can go all 16 games with that pace. So I’m all about Calvin Ridley, especially if Hooper leaves. That’s a guy I really haven’t circled yet, so yeah.
Joseph Robert: I love him. I’m all over Ridley. He’s on the consensus pretty low right now like yeah, you can get him. People are sleeping on him. People are sleeping on Deeboo Samuel. They’re sleeping on. I think Courtland Sutton’s a little bit underrated. There’s a ton of sleepers at wide receiver.
Nick: A lot of big great guys, this year, yeah.
Joseph Robert: I mean, it’s simple. Let’s keep it simple. We’ll end this with this, is my strategy and I talked about one of my 16-round draft solution. Very simple. Load up on RBs, anchors off on an ace quarterback and just get an ace wide receiver at round 4, 5, 6, maybe get a good one there and just load up on a bunch of sleeper wide receivers, you’re going to nail a bunch of them. It’s going to be great. This wide receiver class in the NFL draft is so deep that I mean you’re going to land yourself some good wide receivers. And that’s it, man, just wait on a wide receiver. There’s a ton of good guys this year. I’m telling you.
Nick: And I feel like it’s every year. I mean last year I did the same thing. The first three rounds, I took Ezekiel Elliott, Dalvin Cook round two, Aaron Jones round three. I mean that alone was enough to win a title, but then at receiver, you’re like, oh, your receivers must have blown. I got Godwin round four, Cooper Kupp round five, and D.J. Moore round six. I mean that that team obviously went on and just fucking destroyed the league and it was one of those perfect situations that don’t always end up like that.
But certainly those guys you just said it. If you get Courtland Sutton round four, Calvin Ridley round four, Deebo Samuel round five, who knows where Matt Camp’s going to go, but there are tons of these breakout receivers, so I’m totally with you there that we could see some huge breakouts.
I’m going to be publishing this on my podcast. I know you are, too. Do you want to make sure before we sign off here that my audience if they haven’t heard of you and I’m sure they have because you have one of the biggest and best followings on Instagram, but if not, because we do have a little bit of a niche following here, too? Where can my guys find if they want to connect with you and interact?
Joseph Robert: Well, obviously YouTube here at Fantasy Football Counselor or TikTok at Fantasy Football counselor, Instagram at Fantasy Football Counselor and Twitter at FF Counselor 1. I got on Twitter late. I couldn’t secure the Fantasy Football Counselor’s name.
Nick: Yeah.
Joseph Robert: Yeah, same with you guys. Roto Street Journal guys. Check him out. I mean I really liked your website. Your website is top-notch. Great content. Very nice to lay it on the website. Good podcast. Very good knowledge for yourself as well.
Keep grinding, keep hustling and yeah, I’m glad that I get to introduce you to my audience. And yeah, I’m big on Instagram. I don’t want to toot my own horn, but millions upon millions of YouTube minutes last year watched. Millions of podcast downloads. I’m very grateful to be in the position I’m in. And hopefully, you guys that are listening to me can go over and listen to Nick as well, because again, he’s full of absolute knowledge and he knows his crap, so yeah, check him out.
Nick: Absolutely. And you already mentioned rotastreetjournal.com. That’s our home base breeding and feeding Fantasy wolves. If you want to connect directly with me on Twitter, it’s @rotostreetwolf and Roto Street Journal on Instagram. I know a lot of your audience might find us through that. Roto Street Journal is also on YouTube if our audience sees us there. So, we’re up and coming and that’s why I love you because you’re willing to find the new exciting, to the Deebo Samuels of the world.
Joseph Robert: Yeah, a hidden gem.
Nick: And the hidden gem of the Fantasy world and you’re ready to kind of help me in that ring and blow up for the year in your already established audience. I really appreciate you having me on, my man and I think we’re going to keep turning out some very valuable content this entire all-season together.
Joseph Robert: I do the same thing with every stock whether it be Fantasy, whether it be human interaction. I find the hidden gems. I stay away from the Lamar Millers and Carlos Hydes and everything I’m not here to knock anybody, but there’s a lot of Carlos Hydes out there and I’m aiming for the Saquon Barkleys and the upside guys that know their stuff.
Nick: Yeah, I’ll take Saquon Barkley. Yeah, that’s me. I’m definitely Saquon. I’ll take that.
Joseph Robert: It’s a whole other topic.
Nick: Yeah, man.
Joseph Robert: So, thanks for being on guys. This wraps it up. Make sure you guys subscribe to both podcasts and man, we covered a lot. We will talk later.
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